The Pink Panther Entry.

So, a little history for you.

In 1963, Blake Edwards sets out to make a screwball comedy about a charming jewel thief who seduces a princess and eventually makes away with her rare, pink panther diamond. During the course of the filming, a secondary character, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, played by Peter Sellers, instantly wins over the hearts of the crew and Edwards himself. The film is expanded to include more Clouseau and subsequent sequels focus on that character. (Even though the original plan was to focus on Nivens charming jewel thief character. Ah well. Cest La Vie!)

That movie is Blake Edwards, The Pink Panther.

To begin his movie, Edwards orders a cartoon sequence featuring the Pink Panther itself (In the movie, the PP is a flaw in a diamond that is sort of panther shaped.) This is the opening credits from that movie. This first time anyone anywhere ever saw The Pink Panther.



The cartoon character of the Pink Panther is so popular that it eventually gets expanded a year later into a series of very popular cartoon shorts. This next clip, "Pink Phink" is the first of that series. Check it out!



This cartoon short is "Dial P for Pink" and it's got to be one of my favorites ever. It's the same bit OVER and OVER again, but it just kills me.



Now then, where does all of this come from?
Why am I dropping these little video gems about The Pink Panther?

Well, today I stayed home sick from work. Nose stopped up, coughing, running a nasty fever, I laid on the couch and watched the 1963 Pink Panther movie. And in the middle of the film, for no reason whatsoever, there's a music video of Fran Jeffries singing "Meglio Stasera" in the ski chalet.

There just happens to be a samba band there.
And this guest in the ski chalet (whom we've never seen before) just begins singing and dancing around and not only is everyone cool with it, but they get up and dance with her.

It's a silly little note in a silly little movie and the sheer 1960's grooviness of it all (from the unrestrained ebulliance of the spectators to Jeffries slinky, minimalist dance moves) makes me wish that I was much, much cooler than I am. Or that I lived in a cooler time than I do.

Want to see what I'm talking about?

Here, check it out. (God Bless The YouTube, eh?)



(Hey, the original Pink Panther was shot in 70mm. How cool is that?)

Leading the samba dance of only one person through his empty apartment,
Mr.B